Longer-cellared beers may be priced slightly higher than when originally sold to account for the space, time, and efforts of aging them.

For those from out of town who may have always wanted to get their hands on a bottle, this is a great opportunity. Note that the 10AM time is the time that our doors will open and sales will begin. For the rarest or most selection/choice of these beers, the line may form earlier.

They normally do these releases at noon, but we wanted to have folks be able to get in and out with plenty of time before the AHA Members’ Only GABF Session, which starts at Noon.

Sarah and James will not in attendance, the first time ever that neither of them will be at a release – but only because we will be at the GABF Awards Ceremony that is going on concurrently – keep your fingers crossed for us. If possible, they will have the awards ceremony streaming live on the projector in case anyone is interested.

They will remain open from 10AM through 2PM, their normal opening time, for any bottle or pint sales you may desire.

GABF Week is a time when our brewery staffing is sometimes stressed by high demand, please have patience and courtesy for our awesome bartenders who will be managing the release and tending bar after what is sure to be a long week

It’s that time of year… Black Project (Denver) brewed their first batch of Fresh Hop HYPERSONIC (AKA: HYPERFRESH) with Chinook hops… as well as a few other varieties to round out that piney hop flavor and create something magical. They didn’t think they could create something they liked more than Mosaic HYPERSONIC… and they were wrong. So wrong.

This Wild American IPA is brewed with a strain of wild yeast that we isolated from their neighbors’ apple tree in the Baker Neighborhood of Denver, CO. This beer is NOT sour, however the fruity characteristics of this yeast play well with these hops to create a beer that is fragrant and bursting with hop aroma, without all the bitterness.

Black Project used more pounds per barrel than they’ve used in any beer, and still (and always) dry-hopped eight times.

On tap while it lasts beginning this Friday, September 16th. One batch only.

Ticket admission will include unlimited pizza, two craft beers from a select menu, and access to exclusive craft beers from Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales and Trve Brewing*.

On September 20th 2013, a group of friends started a homebrewing club = The Fermentologists.

In the three years since they started, they have grown into a 50-member non-profit fermentation science club that focuses on the advanced technical aspects of fermentation and the art of perfecting nature. To celebrate their founding and to enjoy the fruits of their labor, they will be hosting their Three Year Anniversary at the Crafty Fox (Denver)!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Fermentologists directly – info@fermentologists.com

*Admission tickets must be purchased before 12:00pm on September 24 2016 to receive access to the private section upstairs with two exclusive beers. Tickets may be purchased the day of the event at the door for $35. There will be no substitutions for pizza for other items on the general menu. Vegetarian option is available upon request. There is no vegan or gluten free option included in ticket cost. Options outside the beer and food menu may be purchased directly from the Crafty Fox but cannot be substituted for event tickets.

This beer was cranky and is still having a hard time carbonating in the bottle, but they’ve got a sixtel-keg of it that they are going to put on tap for the night.

This beer is basically STARFIRE turned up to 11. It has nearly double the amount of lemons and limes (the zest of nearly 2 lemons and 4 limes per 750mL bottle), plus blood orange zest as well. A citrus sonic boom. This one is a must-have. They don’t know if the bottles will ever carbonate/be released, so this may be the ONLY time to try STARFIGHTER.

This beer was cranky and is still having a hard time carbonating in the bottle, but they’ve got a sixtel keg of it that they are going to put on tap for the night.

Lemon and lime tang compliments the soft lactic acidty in this blend. Taste almost like a dry, sour shandy. Super tasty! Black Proect figured before the weather fully changes, they should give you all a chance to try this out!

Veiled by a shroud of mystery and intrigue, Denver’s Former Future Brewing shuttered taproom operations earlier this week and promptly began transmitting a series of cryptic messages, videos, and an equally arcane Facebook event page as a teaser for bigger things to come.

As of 10 am, Friday morning, that cloud of suspense has finally been lifted with a familiar, but now fully identity. What was previously Former Future has now “evolved” into Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales.

Black Project began as the side project of James and Sarah Howat, co-founders of Former Future Brewing. This passion project spin-off aimed to showcase beers made from spontaneously fermented yeast and microbes that already exist in the air right here in Denver. James, who graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in microbiology found greater resonance in the nuances of these wild and spontaneous ales, but the couple also drew from the theme of Cold War espionage, conspiracy theories and most of all the secrecy of the project, which first inspired the name Black Project.

Those early batches fermented in makeshift coolships on the roof the the Former Future brewery, or open cover vessels that allowed those naturally occurring microbes to enter the brewing process. “Some of the first batches we brewed were being coolship-ed and spontaneously fermented, they didn’t see the light of day till 8 months later,” explained James Howat. “But our bartenders didn’t know what was going on, they just knew we were back there brewing beer.”

And while Former Future favorites like Salted Caramel Porter and Cat Sabbath have gained a following of their own, over the years, the Howats have shifted their focus toward producing these 100% spontaneously fermented projects that have already begun garnering national attention. Black Project has now won back-to-back bronze medals in the Experimental Beer category, in 2014 for Black Project #1, now called Flyby, and most recently in 2015 for Ramjet. While most offerings will consist predominantly of funky, sour, and wild beers, other clean offerings such as hoppy beers that are brewed with wild yeast strains will still fall under Black Project’s domain and will be available as well.

Over the last month the tap board at Former Future has slowly begun phasing out its classic lineup and instead featuring a greater sampling of the Black Project brand beers. Today that evolution becomes complete as Former Future quietly fades into the ether and Black Project becomes the sole focal point for the South Broadway Brewery. Over the next few months the Howats plan to undergo a significant expansion including a new coolship that will increase their kettle volume form 120 gallon production to 340 gallons. Additionally the Howats expect to add nearly 100 new wine barrels to fill out their barrel house, as well as foeders or puncheons as larger barrel-aging vessels.

Tonight’s launch party features a lineup which includes HYPERSONIC Wild Pale Ale, DREAMLAND, a base Golden Ale, ELSEWHERE, a base Amber, STILETTO Wild Saison, LUNEX a Corvus Coffee Sour, and EJECTOR. Festivities kick off at 2pm this afternoon.

For more on Black Project’s evolution, have a listen to our full interview during Episode 24 of The PorchCast.

I still remember the first time I met up with Dustin & Marcia Hall to enjoy a beer. I had only seen Dustin’s work on Instagram via his Brewtography Project account, but even through the illuminated lens of a iPhone 4 screen, I could see Dustin’s passion and eye for the craft.

Over the past three years, Dustin Hall has brought life to the Colorado craft beer industry by documenting nearly 100 breweries and countless more beer festivals and events. Dustin typically spends between four to eight hours a session when shooting a single brewery, so as to best capture the essence of that brewery’s day to day operations. His photography is deeply personal, detailed and often uncovers perspectives that normal brewery goers rarely get to see. Dustin is not like any other photographer, or beer fan, he is one of the few true photojournalists of the beer industry.

Additionally, Dustin’s primary objective has always been to give back to the breweries, by allowing each of his subjects full access to use his images for marketing materials, social posts, promotional assets and prints that can be seen on premise without charging them a dime. It’s this sense of humility, this dedication to his craft, this willingness to give back, that echoes the true nature of the industry he covers.

We’ve been fortunate enough to showcase Dustin’s photography on PorchDrinking since that initial meeting. And I knew then that he shared our drive to promote the craft beer in a positive manner, through great imagery and storytelling. And now, we call on YOU to help support his culminating endeavor, The Brewtography Project: Discovering Colorado Breweries. Dustin plans to release a coffee table book celebrating Colorado brewery culture; exploring the passion and personality of local breweries through his photographs.

In order to make this book a reality Dustin has created a Kickstarter with an initial goal of raising $15,000 for a 100 page coffee table book featuring his iconic images taken at breweries across the state. Then as the goal reaches $20,000, Dustin will add another 20 pages to the book with hopes to round out that extended goal at a 200 page book with $30,000 raised to help fund that goal.

For all that Dustin and Marcia have given to the industry over the past two years, we urge you to help support his cause with a pledge. By making a pledge, you’re also able to claim some truly unique beer related gifts, and experiences as well as a chance to get an early copy of The Brewtography Project: Discovering Colorado Breweries.

Additionally, Hall has lined up a host of once-in-a-lifetime experiences to help raise money for the kickstarter. These events kick off tonight at Baere Brewing featuring a pickle and cheese pairing from The Real Dill and Tony’s Market paired with two beers, C3IPA, a classic American IPA with three traditional American hops balanced with a subtle malt backbone paired with smoked cheddar cheese and habanero pickles; Lens Cap, a dark sour that was fermented in wine barrels and barrel aged with Baere’s house mixed culture paired with buttermilk blue cheese and molasses pickles.

Attendance at each event will include an 8 x 10 inch signed print, a photo booth where pictures from the booth have a chance to make it into the final book, and chances to buy an early copy of the book. Here’s the full lineup of events.

May 13: Baere Brewing 6pm -Pickle and Cheese Pairing with The Real Dill and Tony’s Market with beer from Baere Brewing

May 26: Great Divide Barrel Bar 6pm – attendees receive a branded Spiegelau glass, a pour of 2015 barrel aged Old Ruffian barleywine or another beer on tap

May 28: Renegade Brewing 6pm – guests treated to a nigh of music fro Denver Vintage Reggae Society, two beers, and spicy Caribbean pickles from TheReal Dill as well as a special release of Depravity Imperial Peanut Butter Cup Milk Stout

The release of GAMBIT is a tribute to photographic history with the beer named after a recently declassified 1960s spy satellite. While supplies last, guests will be able to purchase two 750mL bottles hand numbered and signed by James Howat, an 8×10 inch print signed by Dustin Hall of the Brewtography Project, a Black Project branded tote, and a sticker pack for $65.

A photo booth will be set up at the event for guests to take pictures that will be available on the Brewtography Project’s Facebook page and may be used in the final book. Guests are encouraged to fund the Kickstarter and attend as many events as possible to increase their chances of being in the book.

By funding the Kickstarter before this event, guests will also receive a free 10oz pour of any beer on the menu.

Proceeds from this bottle release will go to funding of the Kickstarter. This is a one time limited release that should not be missed. Come out, support a great project, and have some fun with Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales and The Brewtography Project!

It’s 4/20. Which means something for those of us in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington. It’s an opportunity to light up and celebrate the state law’s that allow us to use marijuana recreational. To celebrate, we’re going to let you in on the weed and beer pairing you need for today.

I’m doing Former Future’s sour division Black Project’s Ramjet, a spontaneous sour ale with cherries added and pairing that with Grape Ape budder from Kind Love here in Denver. I couldn’t think of a better potential pairing where it concerns the matching of hash terpenes with beer.

Photo courtesy of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

Beginning by opening the bottle of Ramjet, I pour the beer into the glass and am hit immediately with a pleasant licorice funk that smells like it’s been brewed by Willy Wonka with the Oompa Loompas. Incredible cherry tart then hits the back of my nose with leather and notes of good pipe tobacco as well. I take the first sip and the cherries dance around with notes of candy and sugared plums, a sweetness, but really well settled and taking a backseat to the tartness. The funk of the brett is also perfect and brings an excellent crisp bite I enjoy with fruity sours.

Now onto the flavor dab of Grape Ape. All I need is a small dab to get the terps onto my palate. It hits like hammer blow regardless. Notes of red grapes on the exhale turn to cherry jam and orange marmalade covered biscuits. Very nice.

Photo courtesy of The Greenery

More sips of the beer and I’m convinced this is a top five sour, and it saddens me that I don’t have more to hold onto, because this could be even more incredible in a year. The near perfect balance of tart, cherries, and funk is phenomenal and Black Project should be celebrated for this one.

I take a second flavor dab of the Grape Ape hash and get very citrus heavy flavors, sour mimosa’s with fresh cherries. Sugary, like grape taffy and a Hostess cherry pie, with that funk at the front end when I take a sip after the dab. So good, really, I want to trade for more as soon as I get a chance.

Taken together, I think the Grape Ape added something akin to grapes, with a smoky citrus that played well with the cherries. Would definitely try something similar again and I recommend to anyone wanting to try this out for themselves to think about how your tastes are in regards to beer and different strains of marijuana or hash. Like pairing scotch with cigars, the combinations are almost limitless.

Is your liver hurting yet? If yes… good, you’re doing it right. If no, you may think you’re a hard ass now, but I guarantee Denver’s beer scene will get the last laugh in this game of Russian (Imperial Stout) Roulette so hold on to your butts, it’s about to get weird.

Like Maryland does crab cakes, Denver does brunch. The obvious options will of course include Snooze (their pancakes are no joke), Jelly (doughnut holes) and Lucile’s, an authentic Louisana-style them all the way down to their beignets (go for the biscuit instead). But my personal favorites include Shells & Sauce (weekends only, Chicken & Waffles), Sassafrass, Black Eye Coffee (chicken & biscuits and tots, trust me on the tots), The Universal (grits), and king of the crop in Denver Biscuit Company (multiple locations but for the continuity of this piece visit the one on South Broadway). Portland may have Pine State Biscuits, but Denver has DBC. And nothing quite says building a base like The Franklin, a Paul Deen’s wet sopping dream of Fried Chicken, cheese, thick cut bacon wedged between a six inch biscuit lathered in sausage gravy. Follow that up with a basket of sweet potato fries and what can be only described as the devil’s seed dipping sauce and you’re out cold for the next two hours. Ok scratch that, eat half of everything I just mentioned, because we’ve got a full day of drinking ahead.

Apologies on that digression, back to the beer and for that we head to South Broadway. We begin Day 2 way down south at Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales. The husband and wife duo of James and Sarah Howat have been making great for over two years in their military aviation themed brewery which, features a main bar, outfitted from the wing of a Cessna airplane.. While their path originally began as Former Future Brewing, they just recently transitioned full time to their passion project, which they’ve received notoriety of late in the form of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales. Winning back-to-back medals at the Great American Beer Festival in the Experimental Beer category for the eponymous, Black Project #1 and Ramjet, has elevated their beers to whale hunting status.

For our March release we will have 3 different variations of the debut of Supercruise Tempranillo.

The first barrel was supposed to be released last month but we decided to give it a bit more time. That means this month all THREE barrels will be available at once.

Some quick notes on each one:

Barrel 1 – First part of the grape pressing, aged in a 2nd use Law’s Secale Rye barrel. Bright fruitiness, a bit of perceived sweetness, some oak character.

Barrel 2 – Middle part of the grape pressing, aged in a 3rd use Law’s Secale Rye barrel. More funky than 1 on the aroma, different fruit character in the taste. A bit less sweet, moderate oakines.

Barrel 3 – Last part of the grape pressing, aged in a 3rd use Leopold Bros’ Cherry Whiskey barrel. More dry and tannic but also combined with more interesting fruit notes, maybe some of that cherry character from the barrel is in there. The least perceived sweetness to me (they are all actually around the same amount of residual sugar, FYI).

The color differs between these and they are really fun to drink as a “horizontal”.

All 3 will be pretty limited in availability. 26oz/750mL cork and cage, $22ea (sales tax included in price). Some will be available cold for on-site consumption

We will also have a bit of Dreamland Blend 2 available for purchase. It is developing in a really great way in the bottle. Mirroring Dreamland Blend 1 in my opinion. Some of the stronger funky notes are being converted into the normal Black Project / Dreamland “house” character- Apricot, Peach, and Mango.

26oz/750mL cork and cage, $18ea (sales tax included in price). Some may be available cold for on-site consumption.

There is a chance of a very small selection of other bottles (very small amounts) being available. First come, first serve!

Of course everything in the lineup is subject to change – our beer is a living product and truly wild microbes are unpredictable.

The folks at Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales are super excited to debut the second blend of Dreamland. Due to Solera aging, the majority of this blend has more age on it than the first one – more funk, more complexity, but overall pretty close. Seeing as blend 1 is now close to a year in the bottle, it is a fun comparison side by side if you still have a blend 1 bottle around. The beers were pretty similar going into the bottle but now you can see what happens to beers that are allowed to develop in the bottle with the presence of real, environmental wild microbes.

Supercruise is Black Project’s traditional fruit level line of beers (compared to Mach-Limit where they add as much as they legally can). It debuts with the Tempranillo variant done in collaboration with Red Fox Cellars.

Black Project has 3 barrels of this beer, all with slightly different base beer blends, barrels, and also slightly different parts of the pressed Tempranillo grapes (some were from earlier in the pressing vs later and it makes a noticeable difference). This month, they will sell Barrel 1 which was done in a second use AD Laws Rye barrel.

A limited amount of custom Black Project glasses will be available for purchase at the February 21st bottle release.

Available while they last! 18.25oz high quality stemmed glass.

Perfect for splitting a 750 of highly carbonated spontaneous ale with plenty of room for head and aroma development.

Black Project will eventually have these perpetually available in their web store for those not able to make releases in person.

BPS&WA will do their very best to allow everyone in line by NOON to get at least one bottle. Additional bottles may be available to those at the start of the line. Last time the line was forming before 9AM (although the weather was nice). This release is a similar size to last time – FEAR NOT – higher bottle count bottle releases are coming VERY SOON!

Beer Details:

Batch 1

Brew Date: November 2014

Inoculation Method(s): Coolship

Barrel Blend: 100% Barrel A11

Description: кальмар (pronounced Kal’mar) is a light, wheat-heavy recipe that BPS&WA inoculated in their rooftop coolship. Sea salt and coriander were added directly to the boiling wort in the vessel. The next morning the wort was cool and put directly into a steam-cleaned neutral oak barrel.

After nearly 1 year the beer told them it was ready and time to bottle for the bottle release. Wheat breadiness, smooth pilsner malt, and clean lactic tartness. Brettanomyces funk plays well with the assertive coriander flavor and aroma that are present throughout. Slight oak character and of course a wonderful mildly salty finish as is characteristic of the style. Begs you for another sip. Beautiful complexity from all of these components and of course due as well to a true, wild mixed fermentation.

The marriage of wine and beer has increased in popularity over the last few years as barrel aging continues to explore new territory. Breweries are finding all sorts of ways to brew with the grape juice and must used to make wine, as well as the barrels these very ingredients are aged in. While many beer/wine hybrids have hints of wine, Mach-Limit Tempranillo from Black Project is not one of them. The combination of a neutral sherry barrel, sour golden ale, grape juice and must together blurs the line of beer and wine in a magnificent marriage of ingredients.

Even before smelling Mach-Limit, one can visibly see the influence wine had on the beer as it pours a beautiful magenta color with a light pink head that dissipates quickly. Right off the bat I get dry wine smell that leads to a slight funky flavor. At first taste I get a pinch of funk, but nothing overpowering. The beer then leads to a semi-sweet and slightly sour flavor. With a dry start and a hint of sour, this beer leaves your mouth very smoothly and has you wondering what did I just drink? With each subsequent taste I feel I could drink this all day – and then I have to remind myself that at 8.8% it goes down all too easily.

Mach-Limit sold out during the release, but rumors are a few bottles might find their way on to shelves in the near future. With each new release, Black Project is pushing the envelope and after winning back to back bronze medals in the Wild Ales subcategory at GABF, it’s clear they’ve become one of the industry’s rising stars. Black Project is aiming to release a new beer or two every month at their host brewery Former Future located off South Broadway in Denver, CO.

Chef Jensen Cummings is a Certified Cicerone and insanely talented chef. Join Brewed Food on a culinary journey as there will be a tasting of two beers with both food and raw ingredients for a one-of-a-kind Fermentation Expedition. Plates and Pairings are only $8. Buy a plate and receive a raffle ticket for a bottle of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales Mach Limit: Tempranillo to be given away that night.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales will be releasing two different beers for the first time on Sunday, January 17th. Both will be limited. Per person bottle limits will be estimated closer to release and finalized day-of. All beers and date subject to change.

This beer was created along with Blueberry Dreamland to commemorate the launch of the base Dreamland. This version took a while to condition in the bottle, but is now totally ready! Great peach, funk, oak, tartness, and a noticeable rye whiskey character. All parts are about equal in presence, no one component (fruit, base, oak, spirit) overwhelms the others. Very balanced and delicious.

Secondly, Black Project is very excited to announce the launch of one of their revolving fruit series beers. Mach-Limit is their heavily-fruited sour beer.

Mach-Limit Tempranillo. 750mL, cork & cage, $28

The first Mach-Limit was made in collaboration with Red Fox Cellars & Vineyard from Palisade, CO. They supplied the Tempranillo grape must, Black Project supplied a blend of mature sour beers. Bold, earthy, black cherry, currant, and herbal notes from the grape combines with the beer which has a dry tartness, wild yeast “funk” and stone fruit from Black Project’s house coolship microbes. Super interesting to drink. A little like the wine, a little like the beer. The two parts end up tasting like a super complex, funky, sangria – in the best possible way.